This invention relates to the field of automatic car wash equipment. The invention discloses a device which performs a task similar to that performed by the system described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 861,326, filed May 9, 1986, entitled "Vehicle Cleaning System and Method", and assigned to the owner of the present invention.
The car wash industry has long recognized the need for increased automation of car wash operations. Although automated car washes have been known, the systems used have spray nozzles which are fixed, and which are placed so that they can accommodate vehicles of all shapes and sizes. But, since different vehicles have different shapes and sizes, it is impossible, with a fixed nozzle, to clean all vehicles with equal thoroughness.
Some parts of a car become more dirty than others. The front grille and rear fender areas typically accumulate much more dirt than the top and sides of the car. The systems of the prior art have not solved the problem of how to clean these areas adequately. The prior art lacks a system which closely follows the contour of the vehicle, regardless of the shape of the vehicle passing through the system.
The present invention provides a system which automatically determines the contour of any vehicle passing through the apparatus, and which guides a spray bar around that contour, without any human intervention. Thus, the system and method of the present invention can wash many vehicles, of virtually all shapes and sizes, without adjustment between washes. The system preferably uses a microprocessor to control the movement of the spraying device.